competition. The usual boat races at Kennisis include: Pie Plate Race a race consisting of boats and canoes that are propelled by metal pie plates. This race often includes four participants per boat or canoe. They supply their own metal pie plates and create their own propeller. Paddle Boat Race Open Canoe Race a canoe race that only has one participant in each canoe. Kayak Race a race in which Kennisis divides the kayak races into separate age categories. One age group consists of both boys and girls sixteen years old and under. The other age group is made up of both men and women ages seventeen and older. Backwards Canoe Race a group race in which each group comprises two men and two women racing together in one canoe. In and Out Canoe Race a race n which each team involves two members racing in one canoe. Canoe Race a race that involves teams of four. Each team includes two male and two female participants. Like many of the races, the canoe race divides itself into two age groups. The youth race participants range from ages sixteen and under. The adult race has members starting from ages seventeen and over. Family Members Canoe Race a group race that involves members of the same family racing together as one unit. Water Quality Kennisis Lake is located within the Canadian Shield, so it is among deep lakes containing few minerals. This is because of the erosion of granite in the lakes doesn't happen as much as it would elsewhere. There have been observations of a lack in clarity of the water, but this is not due to mineral or chemical buildup. The average measurement of phosphorus in the lake water is around 7 µg/L. However, deposits of dissolved organic carbon may affect the clarity of the water due to the lake acting as a watershed to nearby wetlands. Increased rainfall can cause sediment to get into the lake, also decreasing clarity. That being said, though, it is only a slight issue and is not a major problem to the water itself. Interesting Facts The Kennisis Lake got its name from the early settlers who recorded the name of Joe Kennisis, a First Nations man, whose family had lived by hunting and fishing around the lake. By the 1880s, a four-foot dam was built where the Kennisis River flows out of the